1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a nail coil and tool holding assembly. More particularly, the invention has a belt which is worn around the waist of a user, has a plurality of nail coil pouches for holding nail coils, and which also selectively may be employed to hold a utility knife holder pouch, a pencil holder pouch, and/or a hammer holder.
2. Description of the Related Art
Carpenters and other tradesmen often need tools and other items at their ready disposal in order to avoid an additional trip to obtain these items. In particular, a roofer will often need to use many nails for a roofing job. Consequently, roofers often employ nail coils, each of which typically has 120 nails, which may be deployed with a pneumatic gun designed to hold one of the nail coils at a time. However, often more than the typical 120 nails present in a single coil are needed for a job. Especially when roofing, hundreds and perhaps even thousands of nails are required. Accordingly, the roofer must make frequent trips to replace an expended nail coil. However, movement upon a roof is extremely dangerous. Accordingly, each trip to obtain a new nail coil subjects the roofer to unnecessary risk.
In addition, various other tools are frequently necessary during a job, but must be obtained from another location when needed. xe2x80x9cUtility beltsxe2x80x9d of various configurations have been devised in an attempt to provide a worker with commonly needed tools.
Some of these utility belts employ pouches of various configurations to store specific items which fulfill a particular need and which may be used by various tradesmen. In this regard, U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,576 to Ashley shows a pouch assembly which includes a belt and one or more pouches attached thereon. However, with its closed sides, if one attempted to store nail coils therein, they would be difficult to remove without injury.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,742 to Ethridge et al. appears to show a nail coil rack comprised of a T-bar with a right angle bend, capable of being supported by a worker""s belt. However, Ethridge positions the nail coil in a manner which may easily result in injuries to the user by the sharp ends of the nails when attempting to retrieve the nail coil.
In general, the storage of nail coils in currently available pouches results in injuries since the nail coils are positioned such that it is not easy to grasp the nail coil without exposing the fingers to the sharp tips of the nails. For example, when numerous coils are xe2x80x9cdumpedxe2x80x9d in a large pouch, they becomes randomly arranged therein. Accordingly, when the worker blindly reaches into the pouch, there is a high probability that the worker""s fingers will first encounter the pointed end of a nail.
While the units described above may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.
It is an object of the invention to provide a device which allows a worker to have within arm""s reach all of the nails that may be needed to complete a particular job, without having to leave the work area to replenish the supply of nails. Accordingly, this device has a utility belt with a plurality of attached nail coil pouches, thereby allowing a worker to have ready access to a large quantity of nails within arm""s reach.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a device which allows a worker to obtain a fresh coil of nails without the possibility of cutting one""s fingers on the sharp end of the nails. Accordingly, the nail coil pouch is constructed so as to allow for grasping of the coil from its center through a slot which is present on the front surface of the nail coil pouch.
It is a further object of the invention to provide the user with a nail coil pouch which may be positioned by the user at an angle which is optimal for grasping the nail coil. Accordingly, the nail coil pouches are attached to the utility belt by a rivet which allows the pouch to be swiveled on the belt to an angle that proves most convenient for the worker.
It is a still further object that the invention is suitable for use during roofing and minimizes risk to the roofer caused by unnecessary trips made to replenish the supply of nails. Accordingly, several nail coil pouches are located on a single utility belt.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide a device which allows a worker to have within arm""s reach other tools which are commonly used during a roofing job. Accordingly, this device also allows the belt to be selectively equipped with a pencil holder pouch, a utility knife holder pouch, or a hammer holder, if deemed necessary by the worker.
It is an even still further object of the invention to provide a utility belt which may be unencumbered by tools not necessary for a particular job. Accordingly, the utility knife holder pouch, pencil holder pouch, and hammer holder are selectively removable. In particular, these aforementioned holders are selectively disengaged from the belt by peeling the fastening material on the holder from the opposing fastening material on the rear surface of the belt, and then by lifting the holder upward so as to disengage its associated hook from the upper portion of the belt.
It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a worker with easy access to the various holders, irregardless of whether he/she is right-handed or left-handed. Accordingly, the user may freely position the various holders on either the right or left side of the belt, as desired by the user.
It is a still further object of this invention that the entire belt assembly be easily detached or attached to the waist of the user when necessary. Accordingly, the ends of the belt are attached to each other by a quick-release buckle and can be snapped on or off within seconds.
The invention is a nail coil and tool holding assembly, having a belt having a front surface and a rear surface, a plurality of nail coil pouches each having a front and a rear, wherein the rear of each pouch is attached to the front surface of the belt. Fastening material is attached to the rear surface of the belt for selectively allowing a hammer holder, a utility knife holder pouch, and a pencil holder pouch to be attached to the belt. The nail coil pouches are each pivotally attached onto the belt by a single rivet so that they may be rotated on the rivet to maximize ease of access to the nails. Each nail coil pouch has a top lip, is open thereat, and has a vertical slot on the front surface, extending downward from the top lip, to further facilitate easy access to the nails. Furthermore, the nail coils may be positioned in the nail coil pouch so that the points of the nails are oriented towards the pouch rear, thereby minimizing the possibility of a user being injured by the pointed end of a nail.